Following a series of seemingly nonstop theft-of-data problems from quite a few government agencies recently (Veterans Affairs, IRS, Agriculture, Federal Trade Commission and the Navy), the White House has given agencies 45 days to implement new safety pr

Following a series of seemingly nonstop theft-of-data problems from quite a few government agencies recently (Veterans Affairs, IRS, Agriculture, Federal Trade Commission and the Navy), the White House has given agencies 45 days to implement new safety procedures.

The new security guidelines were issued June 28 by the White House Office of Management and Budget. The agencies will have to encrypt all data on laptop or handheld computers unless the data are classified as “non-sensitive” by an agency’s deputy director.